Thill-coupling



(Ho Model.)

F. P. JOHNSON. Thill-Ooupling.

No. 226,755. Patented April 20,1880.

T N E V N WITNESSES W /&,

v ATTORNEYS.

NPEI'ERS. PIlOTO-IJTND HER. WASHINGTON D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK P. JOHNSON, OF EYERS GROVE, PENNSYLVANIA.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 226,755, dated April 20, 1880.

Application filed March 13, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'l, FRANK P. J oHNsoN, 0 Eyers Grove, in the county of Columbia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in ThillOouplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in a novel construction and arrangement of a spring and a lockin g-lever, and the combination thereof with the thill-iron and clip, whereby the coupling and uncoupling of the thill and the holding of the same securely in place are facilitated, as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of in y improvement. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken in the line 00 a; of Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A is the thill-iron, and B the clip. The thilliron is provided with trunnions and the clip with notches for the reception of the same.

0 is a lever, having its upper portion formed into astraightthu m b-piece and its lower portion curved in semicircularform to correspond with the cylindrical portion of the thill-iron between the trunnions. The lower end of the semicircular portion is forked or divided into two branches, which are perforated in a direction transversely to the length of the lever. These perforated lower endsoccupy a position in the crotch of the clip B immediately under the trunnions and cylindrical portion of the thilliron, and are held in place therein by means (No model.)

of a bolt or rivet, e, which forms the fulcrum and center of oscillation of the lever O.

F is a wire spring of the form commonly known as a mouse-trap spring-that is to say, the wire is bent midway of its length to form a loop,f. Midway between the loop and the ends the wire is wound into two coils, f f, and then turned up again in the general direction of the loop f. In this case the ends of the wire are turned laterally in opposite directions to form pivots f f, which work in sockets in the branches of the crotch of the clip B; while the loop fbears against therear side of the lever 0 just above the fork or junction of the two branches of said lever.

To couple or uncouple the thill the lever O is pressed back. When it is released the spring F presses it forward, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, so as to prevent uncoupling when the thill-iron is in place.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat ent- The lever 0, having its lower portion semicircular and pivoted in the clip B, and the spring F, provided with the loop f, bearin g on the lever O, and having its ends f engaged with sockets in the clip B, in combination with said clip and a thilLiron, substantially as herein described.

FRANK PIERCE JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM E. J OHNSON, IRA G. PURSEL. 

